OREANDA-NEWS The volumes of thermal coal delivered by rail to the ports of the North-West, remote from the main export markets, exceeded the volumes exported through the Far East, according to data from the Gazprombank Price Index Center. With more marginal coking coal, the situation is reversed — the main array of raw materials goes to the Far East. Analysts attribute this trend to the critical workload of the Eastern Polygon. Despite the fall in coal prices, the rates for providing wagons for it do not fall, which is caused by the difficult situation on the network.

The loading of thermal coal for export through the ports of the North-West in April overtook the loading to the ports of the Far East, follows from the report of the Center for Price Indices (CCI) of Gazprombank.

4.9 million tons of export thermal coal were shipped to the Northwest (6% more than a year earlier), while 4 million tons (3% less) were sent to the Far East, 2.9 million tons (12% less) to the ports of the Azov-Black Sea Basin (ACB).

At the same time, export coking coal mainly went to the ports of the Far East: its loading increased by 22% in April, to 3.6 million tons, while 0.4 million tons were delivered to the ports of the Northwest (0.9% more than in April 2022), 0.3 million tons were delivered to the ports of the ACB tons (56% more).

Natalia Porokhova, head of Gazprombank's CCI, notes that the growth in the transportation of thermal coal to the ports of the North-West, despite the complex circular maritime logistics for deliveries to Asia, illustrates the achievement of the limit of the carrying capacity of the Eastern landfill, where the volumes of thermal coal are gradually replaced by more marginal coking coal. Also, in her opinion, it was affected by the fact that China lifted the ban on Australian coal, and thermal coal went to India more, and not to China.

The rates for the provision of gondola cars in the main directions of coal transportation remained stable in May, the report shows.